Gas release devices



Aug. 7, 1962 A. R. SPIDY ETAL 3,048,303

GAS RELEASE DEVICES Filed March 23, 1959 YIV/X/ l7 /7 l8 l t Amman Ii'ffil vy 105 k SILVERSTONE A ttorn e y;

United States PatentOfiiice 3,048,303 GAS RELEASE DEVICES AlexanderRonald Spidy, Greenford, and Joseph Silverstone, Marple, England,assignors to The Walter Kidde Company Limited, Greenford, England, aBritishcompany, and P. Frankenstein & Sons (Manchester) Limited,Manchester, England,'a British company Filed Mar. 23, 1959, Ser. No.801,380 Claims priority, application Great Britain Apr. 2, 1958 3Claims. (Cl. 222-5) The present invention relates to a device for therelease of gas from a storage bottle or like container automatically onimmersion in water. The purpose for which such a device is provided isto permit the automatic inflation of inflatable life jackets anddinghies.

In the specification of patent application No. 720,640 there isdescribed and claimed an immersion-responsive actuator for gas (releasevalves and other devices incorporating, as its critical component, amass of porous material (such, for example, as a highly compressedcellulose or other synthetic sponge of fine pore size) which has theproperty of swelling strongly on absorption of free liquid thereby.

The chief object of the present invention is an improved immersionresponsive gas release device utilizing the expansive effectabove-mentioned.

In the present instance reference will be made to the piercing of theseal of a sealed gas bottle by means of a spring-loaded piercer.However, in other cases the device may be employed for releasing gasfrom a gas bottle maintained in a closed condition by means of a checkmember which is displaced from its seating to release gas from a bottle.The device of the present invention would be suitable for opening bothtypes of gas bottle with only slight structural modification.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide anover-riding manual control for the release of gas in addition to theautomatic means.

According to the present invention a device for the release of gas froma closed gas container comprises a body, a container-opening plungermember slidably mounted in the body, a spring arranged between abutmentson the body and the plunger member and urging said member in thecontainer-opening direction, locking means acting on the plunger member,a release spindle longitudinally movable in relation to the plungermember and adapted to release said locking means, a body of a material,which expands on immersion in water, arranged between an abutment on therelease spindle and an abutment associated with the body, the said di-scbeing located for easy access by water on immersion of the device forthe movement of the release spindle and release of the locking means.

According to a further feature of the invention, the abutment associatedwith the body, against which the expansible disc bears, is provided by amember which moves against resilient resistanceon initial expansion ofthe disc until it comes into contact with a fixed abutment, thislongitudinal movement suificing to release a securing means acting onthe release spindle. The securing means holds the release spindleagainst accidental displacement by shock.

The device may be provided with an over-riding manual control byattaching a handle, which is guided for longitudinal movement on thebody, to a further movable member located around the spindle. Thismovable member, in fact, provides the fixed abutment for the movableabutment member, but can be withdrawn in the opposite direction to themotion of the movable abutment memher so as to displace the movableabutment member and the release spindle and associated expansible discbodily and thus release the lock acting on the plunger ne'mber.

One construction of gas release device made in accordance with theinvention is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanyingdrawing, which shows a longitudinal section of the device.

The device shown in the drawing consists of a body 1 having an endsocket part 2 which can be connected to a gas bottle. The socket 2 isshaped in accordance with the requirements of the gas bottle or othercontainer with which the device is to be employed. A plunger 3, carryinga piercer pin 4, is arranged for longitudinal movement in the body 1. Aspring 5 is arranged between an abutment thrust washer 6 on the plunger3 and an abutment formed by a retainer member 7 screw-threaded into thebody, so as to urge the plunger 3 in the direction required for the pin4 to pierce a seal 30 in the top of a gas bottle 31. The plunger 3 is,however, held against move-ment by balls 8 located in apertures in theplunger member 3 and bearing against a chamfered seating ring 9 held inthe body. The balls 8 are held against movement radially inwardly of theplunger by means of the tapered leading end of a release spindle 10. Thespindle 0 is itself guided in the plunger member 3 and when it iswithdrawn from between the balls 8 the plunger member 3 is therebyreleased to 'open the gas bottle under the force produced by thecompressed spring 5. The release spindle 10 is itself held againstlongitudinal movement by the engagement of a locking pin 11 slidablymounted in a release spindle guide member 12 in a Waist in the releasespindle. The guide member 12 is itself guided for longitudinal movementon the exterior surface of the body 1, but is held against the end ofthe body in the position shown by means of a break cord 14, the purposeof which will appear hereafter. A movable abutment member or lockingring -15 is guided on the external surface of the guide member 12 andholds the locking pin 11 in position. A light spring 16 is arrangedbetween the guide member 12 and the locking ring 15. It will be observedthat the movement of the locking ring 15 towards the guide member 12will release the locking pin 11 for outward movement and only a shortmovement of the locking ring 15 is possible until it comes up solidagainst the guide member 12.

A pair of actuating discs :17 are located between the locking ring 15and an end plate 18 carried by the release spindle 10. A handle member19 is secured to the guide member 12 and is provided with a perforatedend cover plate 20 which permits easy access of water to the discs 17 onimmersion of the device in water. The discs 17 are made of a compressedcellulose sponge material of small pore size which is found to expandconsiderably when fully immersed in water and to provide suificientforce a by the pin 11 against longitudinal movement, the initialmovement produced by the expansion of the discs 17 moves the lockingring 15 to compress the light spring 16 and at the same time to free thepin 11 so that it may move radially outwards. The movement of thelocking ring 15 is limited by the guide member 12, which acts as a fixedabutment or stop to prevent further movement of the locking ring 15.When the locking pin 11 has been freed, further expansion of the discs17 causes the with drawal of the release spindle 10 from between theballs 8. The plunger 3 is thus freed to move in the actuating direction,the pin 4 rupturing the seal 30.

The function of the apparatus as described so far permits of theautomatic release of gas from a container to a life jacket or the likeand thus ensures that in the event of an injured or panicky wearer ofthe life jacket being immersed in water, the life jacket willautomatically in- Patented Aug. 7, 1962 3 flate after the short delaynecessary for the expansion of the discs 17.

The over-riding manual control of the device is provided by the handle19 which, on being pulled outwardly, will first break the cord 14.Thereafter the release spindle guide member 12 will come up against theend of the locking ring 15 which will then move bodily with the handle19 together with the discs 17 and the release spindle 10.

The gas released is led out through a passage 21 in a boss 22 on which acoupling nut 23 is captive. The escape of gas through the body isprevented by O-ring 24.

We claim:

1. A device for the release of gas from a closed gas container securedthereto, comprising a body, a hollow plunger member for opening suchcontainer on longitudinal movement thereof in one direction, said bodyhaving a bore in which said plunger member is slidably mounted,abutments on said body and said plunger member, a first spring meansarranged between said abutments, said first spring means urging saidmember in said one direction, a release spindle coaxially and slidablymounted within said plunger member, locking means for holding saidplunger member in a cocked position, said locking means comprisingdetent means, said plunger having a radial aperture in the wall thereof,said detent means being held in said radial apertures in said wall in aprojecting and blocking position in relation to said plunger member inthe cocked position of said plunger member, a shoulder in said bore orsaid body with which said detent means is engageable, a mass of materialcapable of substantially increasing its volume without change of statewhen immersed in water, an abutment on the release spindle, and aslidable member slidable relative to said body, said mass of materialbeing between said abutment on said spindle and said slidable member, asecond spring means arranged between said slidable member and the bodyof said device to resist movement of said slidable member away from saidabutment on the release spindle, and further locking means holding saidrelease spindle against movement in relation to said body and releasableby said slidable member when said slidable member moves against theaction of said second spring means, initial expansion of said expansiblematerial on immersion in water being eflective to release said spindlelocking means by movement of said slidable member against the springresistance of said second spring means, further expansion of saidexpansible material causing movement of said release spindle to aposition where it frees said slidable member for movement inwardly ofsaid plunger and thus releases said plunger member for 4 endwisemovement under the force of said first spring means.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detent means comprise apair of balls, said spindle having a tapered end, said plunger memberhaving a pair of diametrically oppositely arranged apertures in the wallthereof, said balls being, in the cocked position of said plungermember, held in an outwardly projecting position by contact with thetapered end of said release spindle, said shoulder in the bore in thebody of said device being chamfered and engaged by said balls.

3. A device for the release of gas from a closed gas container securedthereto, comprising a body having a bore therein, a plunger member foropening the container on longitudinal movement thereof in one direction,said plunger member being slidably mounted in the bore in said body,said body having an abutment thereon, spring means arranged between saidabutment on said body and said plunger member, said spring means urgingsaid member in said one direction, locking means for holding saidplunger member in a cocked position and against movement in said onedirection, a release spindle longitudinally moveable in relation to theplunger member for releasing said locking means on movement in onedirection, a body of material capable of substantially increasing itsvolume without change of state on immersion in water for controlling theposition of said release spindle, an abutment on said release spindle, asecuring member axially movable in said body of said device, said bodyof expansible material being arranged between said abutment on saidrelease spindle and said securing member, said securing member beingspring biased against movement in said body in the direction opposite tothe releasing direction of said release spindle, further locking meansacting on said release spindle in the cocked position to prevent endwisemovement of said spindle, said release spindle locking means beingreleased to permit movement of said spindle in said plunger memberreleasing direction on movement of said securing member in said oppositedirection on expansion of said body of expansible material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,117,639 Cooey Nov. 17, 1914 2,627,998 Musser et a1 Feb. 10, 19532,904,218 Pontious et a1 Sept. 15, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 235,245 GreatBritain Apr. 8, 1926 284,379 Italy Apr. 10, 1931 404,915 Italy Feb. 6,1942

